ANOTHER NIGHT IN PHILADELPHIA
by Rebel8954
Summary: Roman watched as Dean walked away into the darkness, then looked around the room. If this place represented what Dean's mind had evolved into, this was going to be harder than he'd thought. RAW of 3/4/19. SEQUEL TO ONE NIGHT IN ATLANTA.


"So I'd like my brother, Seth Rollins, to come to the ring."

Seth Rollins took a deep breath and walked out onto the stage. He was glad Roman Reigns wanted to address at least one of the elephants in the room right off the bat. Neither of them had actually talked about Seth's going after Brock Lesnar and the Universal Title. They'd been trying to talk with Dean Ambrose but their other brother had gone silent on them and couldn't be found. Which, frankly, was pissing Seth off. But first things first...

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Triple H walked away from the gorilla position as the crowd roared when Seth and Roman hugged in the ring. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the third member of the former Shield watching a nearby monitor. He looked around and found the eyes of just the man he wanted to see.

As he passed the man, he casually nodded over his shoulder to where Dean Ambrose stood. He received a brief nod in return and walked away.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dean casually swayed back and forth, listening as Seth swore to Slay the Beast and bring back the Championship.

"If there's anybody who deserves a shot at Brock Lesnar and his title as much as I do, it's you," Seth calmly announced, pointing at Roman.

'_He's offering a Triple Threat?'_ Dean's blue eyes widened momentarily.

"I thought you knew everything. You're wrong." Roman inwardly smiled at Seth's confusion.

A smile curved Dean's lips as Roman gave his blessing to Seth's fight at Wrestlemania. "You're a better man than me," he muttered under his breath.

"But I do need a favor," Roman added.

"Anything you need, you know I've got your back," Seth agreed.

"Anything?" Roman's eyes danced.

"Anything at all," Seth promised.

'_Seth, you're an idiot.'_ Dean mentally groaned. _'You should know Roman's got something up his sleeve…even if he's not wearing sleeves.'_

"I want to get the band back together. One last time."

'_**THE FUCK?!**__'_ Dean stared at the monitor in shock.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

'_What the hell?'_ Seth stared at Roman in shock. They hadn't even talked about this. The closest they'd come was wanting for all of them to make peace with each other before Dean left the company. Despite himself, he smiled as he shook his head. He saw Roman nodding with a smile and replied, "I know I said anything…but anything **but** that."

Roman took a few seconds to pick and choose the right words.

"After what Ambrose did and the when he did it, no way, man," Seth firmly replied.

Roman glanced at the audience. "I thought I could sell him right off the get-go, but I see I got my work cut out for me." He grinned as the audience began chanting '_Shield_'.

Seth rolled his eyes in exasperation. He knew Roman didn't know all that he'd gone through mentally because he'd kept that part from Roman, not wanting him to worry more than he would be doing. _'I'm just supposed to ignore and forget all that?'_ He recalled watching Ambrose throw his Shield vest into the garbage can fire and inwardly seethed.

"I want it." Roman indicated the audience. "Do you guys want it?"

As the crowd roared in approval, Seth's expression became one that Kane would have immediately recognized as his 'brat' expression, one part stubbornness and one part childishness.

"Tomorrow's not guaranteed. We don't know how much time we have. Life is short, man." Roman saw Seth's expression change to one of consideration.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dean glanced to the floor at Roman's words. He knew exactly what Roman meant. He'd taken that knowledge in a different direction, but the words were true. He glanced back at the monitor and wearily sighed. _'Seth's gonna cave.'_ He began slowly walking towards the gorilla position. He knew what was coming.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

"I know I want one more moment with my brothers before we're not around anymore. What do you say, man?"

Seth heaved a sigh. _'Sneaky Samoan. Not playin' fair.'_ He walked around the ring thinking hard as the crowd again chanted '_Shield_'. As he leaned against the ropes, he remembered Dean blindsiding him with multiple Dirty Deeds while screaming in his face that he asked for it…burning his Shield vest…saying they deserved what they got for all the rotten things they'd done…the nights of regrets and depression…and loneliness…

Seth stared at the audience not really seeing them or hearing them. Instead he heard the Undertaker's voice. _'T__hink about what you __**really**__ want. Vengeance, destruction, and violence brought down on Ambrose's head? Or do you want something more? Something better?'_ And he heard Dean's voice. _'Who knows what'll happen in the future? But I'll stay in touch. We'll figure something out. Probably through Roman until he gets back. But I won't disappear.'_

He turned around and faced Roman. "You know, I put that part of my life behind me." He lowered his eyes in thought then squared his shoulders and looked up. "But you're right."

Roman smiled as the crowd roared.

"Tomorrow's not guaranteed. Life's too short. You want the Shield one last time? Then for you, my brother, I'm in," Seth firmly promised.

'_Thank God.'_ Roman briefly threw his arms up in victory. "Philly, we got two. We need three. Bring Ambrose out here, right now."

"You know Ambrose is the stubborn one," Seth muttered to Roman.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dean walked out, looking at the crowd who was cheering in anticipation. He stalked across the stage, unsure of what he was going to say. One glance at Roman, however, and he knew it was up to him to say something. _'Damned sneaky Samoan.'_

He was so focused on Roman that he missed Seth pointing at him and the expression on his face.

But he felt something slamming into his back. As he fell to the floor, he saw bits and pieces of a smashed guitar. Then Seth was flying past him, charging after Elias, who had bolted the second after hitting Dean in the back.

Dean growled as he tried to get up, more in fury than pain.

Seth furiously kicked the broken guitar to one side as he and Roman exchanged uncertain looks. Seth was pretty sure Dean didn't want their help in getting up while Roman was fighting his instinct to help Dean. So they stood next to their fallen brother who eventually got to his feet.

Dean stumbled against Seth and threw him back before stumbling off the stage.

Seth gave Roman an almost regretful look. He knew how much a reunion meant to his oldest brother. He shook his head. "He's in a different place."

"What the hell was that?" Roman muttered in confusion. As they walked off the stage, he lowered his voice. "Was that Moxley?"

Seth shrugged as they walked back through gorilla. When they reached an empty hallway, he leaned against a wall. "I don't know, man. It's like…sometimes he's Dean and sometimes…" He shook his head. "When he came to talk to me in Phoenix, he was **Dean**. And he acted like Dean the last couple of weeks. But just now…"

Roman stared down at the floor for nearly a minute. "I'm not giving up." He looked up at Seth.

"Then neither am I."

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

'_Elias thinks he can jump me from behind and not pay for it? People've forgotten you don't screw with Dean Ambrose!'_

Dean smacked himself in the face a couple of times as he paced, then jumped up and down. Then he stopped when Roman walked into view.

"I thought we were past hanging out in places like this," Roman mused as he looked around the dimly lit boiler room. "You know we have a locker room, right?" he joked.

Dean swayed back and forth, his eyes never leaving Roman's face.

"You know you have a seat there with me any time. I hope you know we can talk about anything, bro. Anything." Roman watched Dean move back and forth. _'Talk to me, Dean. C'mon…talk to me.'_

"Yeah, you wanna talk. We'll talk." Dean breathed deeply as he stretched then rubbed his face. He growled, "I gotta stay sharp…stay sharp. I gotta get ready for this match."

Roman watched as Dean walked away into the darkness, then looked around the room. If this place represented what Dean's mind had evolved into, this was going to be harder than he'd thought. _'Wait a minute…was Dean wearing…dogtags?'_

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dean thought he'd found a quiet place to prepare for his match with Elias. But he really wasn't surprised when Seth approached him. For a few moments, he wondered if one of his brothers had planted some sort of GPS on him.

"We need to talk," Seth began. "Look, brothers fight sometimes. That's what they do, okay? And we've fought each other…all of us at one time or another. But whether you and me are fighting each other or fighting side by side, you are my wrestling soulmate and always will be." He stared into Dean's eyes, trying to find some sort of connection.

But all he saw were chips of blue ice staring back at him.

"Look, we got one chance," Seth continued. "One chance. One shot to do this thing the right way. So let's…"

"Get the Shield back together?" Dean firmly interrupted. He looked around, needing to move and not stand still. "No can do. I'm putting out a fire right now. I appreciate the help last week, okay? I got business in that ring tonight. I gotta do it on my own." He saw a packing case half hidden by dark curtains and sat down on it, disappearing behind the curtains.

Seth knew that Dean always needed some time alone to prepare for a match, so he walked away. But he shook his head, suppressing the urge to grab something and beat some sense into Dean's hard head.

Dean watched Seth walk away, knowing the younger man was seething in frustration. He took a deep breath to release his own frustration. _'Why don't they just…stop? What's so hard about understanding that I need to do this on my own?'_ He rubbed his face and tried to relax. _'And they're just making it harder for me to walk away.'_

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Roman sighed. "This would have gone down easier if he'd won."

Seth grunted as they started walking towards the stage. "I wouldn't necessarily agree."

All they could do now was get in Dean's face and not let him walk away. There was no guarantee they wouldn't wind up in a fist fight in the ring before all was said and done. In fact, Seth would probably have put money down on it.

As they walked out, Elias took one look at them and scuttled away to one side, avoiding them completely.

'_Yeah, you'd better run.'_ Roman barely spared the man a glance from the side of his eyes.

The two brothers slowly walked to the ring as Dean slowly got to his feet. Dean immediately put space between them.

"We've got one more shot at this," Seth began. "What's it gonna be, alright?"

Dean glared at Roman, knowing he was behind the idea of a Shield reunion. But Seth was like that little dog of his. Once he got something between his teeth…He paced as the crowd should yet again _'Shield'_.

Roman spoke softly, encouragingly. "We're brothers, Dean. One more time. C'mon."

When Dean walked away, Seth got into his path. "No, no, where you going, man? We've got one shot to do this right. One shot."

Finally, Dean managed to shove his way between them and got out of the ring.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Seth called after him.

Dean ignored the boos from the crowd as he walked around the ring and jumped the barricade.

'_Dammit.'_ Seth looked at Roman in exasperation.

Dean stopped on the stairs as he heard Baron Corbin's music. He turned to see Corbin, accompanied by Bobby Lashley and Drew McIntire, walk onto the stage. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Seth and Roman turn to face the three men on the stage.

"The fabled Hounds of Justice are now nothing more than three broken stray dogs fighting for scraps at **our** table," McIntire jeered.

'_I'm gonna glue his fucking mouth shut.'_ Dean wearily shook his head and took one more step.

"We're going to end this now."

Dean turned around to see McIntire, Corbin, and Lashley surround the ring.

Seth and Roman stood shoulder to shoulder, watching and waiting for their opportunity.

Dean froze on the steps, watching as his brothers braced for battle. He grimaced and threw his fist into the air in front of him mimicking the blows Roman and Seth were landing on their attackers.

The Hounds knew the numbers game as well as anyone. It had been their bread and butter from the beginning. So Dean knew what was inevitably going to happen. His brothers were trapped in corners. Roman had no room to plant himself to throw punches. Seth had no room to use his athletic ability. He saw Roman being double-teamed in one corner and clenched his fist.

'_No no no…Roman's thinner. He hasn't built his muscle mass back up. He could be…'_

Call it muscle memory. Call it instinct. But Dean was charging down the steps and hopping over the barricade before he could put hardly take two breaths.

'_Tomorrow's not guaranteed. Life's too short.'_

Corbin turned to face him and received punches. Dean whirled around and began hitting McIntire who fell away from Roman. Then Dean slammed into Lashley, allowing Seth to wiggle out of the corner.

Roman flew off the ropes and gave Lashley a Superman punch sending him through the ropes and crashing onto the floor. Seth Superkicked McIntire in the face, felling him like a giant redwood tree and out of the ring. Dean then Clotheslined Corbin over the top rope.

The crowd began screaming _'Shield'_ as Dean leaned against ropes, his back to his brothers. As he turned, he saw them exchange a look, then Roman extend his fist forward. Seth automatically joined his fist to Roman's. Neither of them turned to look at Dean.

Dean paced back and forth his thoughts coming fast and furious.

One last battle. One last time hearing their call letters echo through an arena. One last time walking through the crowd as a Hound of Justice. One last time standing shoulder to shoulder with his brothers…who would always be his brothers. One last time flying with Seth through the ropes in matching Suicide Dives. One last time lifting someone onto Roman's broad shoulders and slamming the poor fool down onto the canvas.

He heard Roman murmuring something soft but encouraging. He heard Seth shouting "Come on" in a demanding voice.

One last time.

Dean whirled around and thrust his fist against his brothers'.

Both Roman and Seth roared in approval as the crowd around them screamed.

One last time. The Shield always rode into battle together.


End file.
